The Ambiance Emerald
by cecilymsmith
Summary: Stand-alone sequel to Visbility. The League recieve a warning from an annoymous messenger informing them of a planned theft of the Ambiance Emerald. Chapter 9: So what has Jekyll's potion got to do with anything?
1. Boredom

**To whom it may concern:**

This is actually a sequel to "Visibility", but it should stand on it's own as there is only really one large reference to the first fic. This is an action/adventure, where as the first was a romance. If you're able to stand a fluffy romance fic, then please have a go at reading "Visibility".  
I just want to ask one thing: Please, don't reveal any spoilers in the reviews! You'll know what I mean when you read the story. If you want to comment about any of them please email me (on my profile page). But for the plot's sake, I would be very grateful if no spoilers are revealed.  
Also, thank you to the few people who reviewed the trailor. It was a real boost.  
Well, here we go again!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own LXG. You knew that didn't you?

**Setting the scene:** It is a few years after "Visibility" (which was set recently after the movie) and the story begins on the Nautilus.

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**Chapter 1 – Boredom**

It had been a very slow time for the League recently. There had been no major calls for them to help with any of the world's problems. In fact, life abroad the Nautilus was rather dull.

Nemo had promised to take them around the world, and he had been true to his word. They had travelled from continent to continent, tasting the variety of cuisines and seeing the diversity of the architecture. He had taken them to places with strange animals and weird civilizations. In fact, there was hardly an inch of land or sea that the League hadn't seen.

Yet, everything just lingered on with a slow, monotonous pace. Without the thrills and adventure of saving the world, there just wasn't enough to satisfy the wants and needs of the League's excess energy.

One such day, the five friends were sat at the dining table after a meal, discussing the very thing.

"Can't we just go out and cause some trouble for ourselves?" Skinner suggested, lying back in the dining chair, stuffed after the huge meal that Nemo's crew had made for them.

"That would hardly advertise the image we're after, now would it Skinner?" Mina replied to him. Sawyer licked his lips after finishing the final spoonful of desert he had just shovelled into his mouth.

"Mmm," he piped up, finishing his mouthful. "She's got a point Skinner." Skinner rolled his eyes, and put his hands behind his head.

"But if we don't get a mission soon," he argued. "We might as well just call the whole thing off. What's the use of being heroes if there are no villains to fight?" Sawyer pushed his plate away from him and leant forwards to address Skinner.

"We just have to be patient," he told Skinner. "We should be grateful that nothing is happening. Sure, it's not much fun for us; but isn't the world's safety more important than our own enjoyment?"

"And if we were to do as you suggested, Mr Skinner," Nemo spoke up. "What would happen when there really was an emergency? Who would help them then?" Skinner ignored this and suddenly became very interested in one of the designs on the wall beside him.

"It would be nice if there was something for us to do, though," Sawyer said after a few moments of silence. Sadly, the League agreed with him.

"Is there anywhere else we could go, Nemo? Dr Jekyll asked, trying to lift the depressed atmosphere that had fallen upon the group.

"We haven't been to Devonshire yet." Nemo replied. The whole room groaned. Anywhere but Devonshire, they all thought. Nemo frowned at the group and folded his arms. "Haven't you enjoyed yourself travelling the world?" The other started to look a little awkward, each avoiding being the first to answer his question. Mina spoke up first.

"It's not that we haven't had a wonderful time," Mina began. She looked at the others for support.

"Because we have had a wonderful time," Sawyer piped up, backing up Mina.

"And it's been great seeing all the different places," Jekyll added. "But..." He stopped. Nemo raised his eyebrows.

"But what?" he asked them, curiously. Skinner looked at each of the others in turn, and rolled his eyes.

"To put it frankly, Nemo," Skinner told him. "They haven't been the most comfortable of visits." Nemo's face dropped slightly. The others looked slightly relieved that Skinner had spoken up.

"Mongolia was cold," Skinner continued. "And I of all people know that. But did we really need to stay overnight in the Antarctic? I was surprised that any of us could move by the morning!" Sawyer stood up.

"And when we went to Portugal," he told Nemo. "I was practically eaten alive by those blasted mosquitoes." The mention of the insects made him scratch the remaining scars of the bites. Mina raised her eyebrows at him.

"You must have sweet blood," she commented, giving him a sly smile. Sawyer stepped back slightly and gave her a nervous grin back. She turned to face Nemo.

"And don't you think that the extended stay in Transylvania was a little uncomfortable for me?" Mina spoke as nicely as she could. Nemo shuffled slightly in his seat. He glared at Jekyll waiting for him to make his complaint about the travelling. Noticing this, Jekyll walked sharply out of his eye line.

"You could have told me that you weren't enjoying yourselves." He told them, feel a bit disgruntled. Jekyll emerged from behind his hiding place and raised his hand.

"I enjoyed myself." He said quickly. Mina, Sawyer and Skinner all shot him an angry look.

"We _all_ enjoyed ourselves." Skinner told Nemo, directing the remark at Jekyll. Jekyll meekly sat once again at the table. Skinner turned to Nemo. "But we're just saying that your choice of locations could have been a little more thought out."

Nemo didn't reply and nobody really wanted to take the conversation any further.

"It would still be nice if we had something to do, though." Sawyer commented, breaking the silence.

After a few moments of awkward silence, the remaining people rose from the table and all began to walk off in their separate directions.

"Captain Nemo!" One of Nemo's crewmen ran into the room. The League stopped and turned to face him.

"What news?" Nemo asked him, importantly.

"We've had a signal on the radio," He replied. "Someone is signalling an SOS!"

There was a short pause and a smile spread across Nemo's face. He turned to face the others who were all looking as intrigued as him.

"And about time too!" Skinner exclaimed.

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NB: This chapter is a lot shorter that the others will be, but I really wasn't getting on with this chapter! It's not the exact begining I want, but it'll have to do. Any comments and reviews are welcome.


	2. SOS

**To whom it may concern:**

Thanks for the reviews!

_queerquail_ - Yeah. I kinda fell sorry for Nemo. Here's another chapter just for you!  
_morph_ - The first chapter was fun, I dunno about the rest. Enjoy!  
_Marcus Lazarus_ - thanks for your interest. Hope you like it.  
_Drakena the Destroyer_ - I looked at your comic strip and the promptly laughted for the rest of the day! And I'm glad you think it will be good. I hope I can live up to the expectation!

**Disclaimer:** Cecily's Log. Stardate 81722.64. Still no closer to owning LXG. Darn it!

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**Chapter 2 – S.O.S.**  
  
The League rushed into the communications room, grateful for the opportunity to do something. One of Nemo's crewmen sat by the radio listening to the clicks that it was emitting.  
  
"Calling the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," he translated, listening carefully to the radio. "Do you receive me?" He looked at Nemo who nodded to him to reply. Quickly, and with great skill, the crewman sent a reply back to the messenger. There was a moment's pause before a sting of dots and dashes came as a reply.  
  
"Your powers are needed to prevent a planned robbery."  
  
The group looked at one another.  
  
"Do we know who it is, Nemo?" Mina asked him, curiously. Nemo shook his head and returned to his crewman.  
  
"Ask him who he is." Nemo instructed him, who bowed his head and sent the question.  
  
"I cannot tell you," was the reply. "I am putting myself in great danger contacting you as it is without revealing who I am. You must trust me." A wave of uncertainty covered the group. After the mistake they had made with M they were very cautious about who to trust. Was it sensible to trust someone who wouldn't even give them his name?  
  
"Should we go along with it?" Mina asked the others cautiously.  
  
"I vote 'Yes'," Skinner replied, quickly. "If I we don't do something soon I may rot away from boredom."  
  
"It's our duty to help," Jekyll added. "If we don't respond, we have no right to be the League." Sawyer nodded in agreement  
  
"Jekyll's right," he told them. "We have to help." Nemo raised a hand.  
  
"Let's find out a bit more about it before we go rushing into any unwise decisions." He turned to the crewman and told him to ask further about the theft.  
  
"London is soon to receive the honour of exhibiting the world's largest emerald in their museum. It is known as the Ambiance Emerald and is priceless.  
  
"One person is planning to steal this emerald, but not only for the wealth. There is a myth that the emerald posses a great power that, if used correctly, could control the world. It is not known what power this gem possesses or how to access it, but if it were to fall into the wrong hands it could be the end of civilization, as we know it."  
  
Skinner put his hands in his pockets.  
  
"That could be bad," He commented, sarcastically. Mina shot him a look. Sawyer took a step forwards and spoke to the crewman.  
  
"Ask him more about this thief," He said. He looked back at the others. "How are we going to find him and stop him if we don't know who he is?" The crewman tapped away at the radio.  
  
"I cannot say. Not now. I will try to get further information to you in the future, but for now it's too risky. You must believe me."  
  
Nemo stepped forwards and spoke to the crewman.  
  
"Tell him that if he doesn't provide us with more information there is nothing we can do!" The crewman sent this to the messenger. There was a long silence before a reply came. The League waited patiently, with baited breath.  
  
"If you need me I could meet you." The crewman translated. "Tomorrow. I will give you more information about your foe." Sawyer crossed his arms and leant back against a wall.  
  
"I think we can risk that, can't we?" he asked the others.  
  
"We don't have a lot of choice," Mina replied. Nemo still stood firm, looking unsure about whether to trust him or not. The reply continued.  
  
"I must warn you though. The thief knows you'll be looking for him. I have been personally told that you are the only thing that could stop it working. That's why you must help me. Why you must help the world."  
  
The group looked at Nemo. It rested upon his decision. The others had agreed to go, but none of them would unless it was unanimous. Nemo stared at the radio, avoiding the others eyes.  
  
"Where should we meet you then?" He asked out loud. A ripple of excitement washed over the others.  
  
The crew man sent the message along the radio, and then turned to face Nemo.  
  
"The reception is breaking up," he told him.  
  
"Then he'd better be quick with his reply!" Nemo answered back at the crewman. They disjointed message returned.  
  
"…Santiago… London… Tomorrow…" The crewman struggled to decipher from the reply. He paused a few more seconds before saying, "The connection has gone."  
  
Nemo frowned slightly.  
  
"Thank you," He said. "You may go now."  
  
The crewman bowed his head and left the League standing alone in the room.  
  
"What do we do now then?" Sawyer asked.  
  
"We could try to trace the message," Nemo told Sawyer. "See if we can find out where he is contacting us from."  
  
"Obviously, we need to try and find this messenger tomorrow, so they can tell us more about this thief." Mina replied to him. "But he could be anywhere in London and we know nothing about him." They stood in silence for a moment, pondering what to do.  
  
"What was that he said about, 'Santiago'?" Jekyll asked the others. "What does that mean?"  
  
"It sounds Spanish," Nemo replied. "It shouldn't take too long to find out what it means." He left the room in search of another crewman to look it up for him.  
  
"Well," Mina thought out loud. "It looks like we've got the adventure we've been looking for!"

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NB: Another short chapter! I must be lossing my touch! I can promise that the chapters I have already written (4-7) will be longer, but I haven't written chapter three yet. (But no doubt I will soon, because I can't wait to post chapter four!) Anyway, as before, comments and reviews are more than welcome!


	3. On the Streets of London

**To whom it may concern:**

Thank you again for any reviews!

_Faust_ - Finaly someone who doesn't really care for Sawyer! Rock on! He has far too many fan girls! One of your questions will be answered by the end of this chapter and your other by the end of the next!  
_Morph_ - Okay, so my update wasn't very soon, but it's here now! Enjoy the double offering.

**Disclaimer:** Nope, nothing here belongs to me. Well, the plot does but nothing else!

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**Chapter 3 – On the Streets of London**

It didn't take the Nautilus long to get to London. The ship had travelled through the night while the League aboard it were working themselves up for what was going to happen.

"Santiago, it seems," Nemo had told them late the previous night. "Is Spanish for 'St James'."

"So where are we looking then?" Sawyer asked curiously.

"St James Park." Jekyll and Skinner both said in unison. Skinner laughed.

"I used to pick pockets there before I became invisible!" He smiled. "Great times..."

"Still, it's a big place," Jekyll spoke up. "And if it's sunny, everyone will be out there. How are we going to spot our man?"

"He'll have to come to us," Nemo replied. "I'm sure he knows what he's looking for." Skinner stood up with a grin on his face.

"How will he find us? I mean you see hundreds of pirates, invisible men and women wearing long scarves in July there! We'll just blend in!" Everyone ignored him.

"We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Nemo told the others. "I suggest that we all retire for the evening. A murmur of agreement swept through the group. Mina, being the first to stand, said her good nights and headed towards her room. Sawyer swiftly followed her and Nemo left a few moments later. Jekyll and Skinner stood alone in the room.

"London," Skinner said in admiration. "We haven't been to London for, oh I don't know, a year?"

"Two years and four months," Jekyll informed him, without looking at Skinner. Skinner turned to him suddenly realising.

"Oh, yes!" he said happily. "Of course, that was when you worked out the cure for invisibility." He turned to leave but stopped himself and walked back to Jekyll. "Ah! Now I remember. That's when we had Bet in our company." Jekyll walked away from him as if to go to bed, but Skinner stopped him. "Am I right?"

Jekyll didn't reply. He didn't want to talk about this subject. He had almost forced himself to forget the whole event with Bet, and after all his hard work he didn't want to bring it up again. Skinner raised his eyebrows and stepped closer to him.

"Why didn't you ever go to visit her?" He asked. "You said you would." Jekyll walked away from him.

"I didn't feel it was right for me to do so." He snapped at Skinner. "The last thing she needs now is for me to go over and bother her. She's probably forgotten all about me." Skinner shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Jekyll," He laughed slightly. "I thought she was rather smitten by you." Jekyll frowned at him. Almost serious for a moment, Skinner pointed at him. "You should visit her while we're in London."

"Definatly not," Jekyll told him firmly. "There are too many awkward memories." Skinner rolled his eyes and moved away from him.

"You do what you like," He told Jekyll as he left the room. "But I think you're letting go of a good thing." Jekyll took a step forward and shouted after him.

"I'm not going!" He yelled. "And that's final." There was no reply, not that Jekyll was expecting one. He let out a long breath and quietly made his way back to his room.

Docked once more in the Thames, the League took a carriage to their destination to avoid attracting more attention than they needed. But Skinner was right; they didn't exactly blend in with the crowds. Nemo stuck out like a saw thumb and as much as Skinner had tried to disguise his invisibility, he still looked very out of place.

The carriage dropped them off a few blocks away from the park. The League were grateful for the short walk in the warm summer sun. It had been about a week since they had left the Nautilus and they were all feeling rather cramped.

The League wandered through the crowded street. The bright weather had brought all kinds of weird and wonderful people outside. The upper class were picnicking in the park, and feeding the ducks in the pond. Skinner watched the young pick pockets rummage through people's bags retrieving as much as they could before their victims noticed. He shook his head.

"I remember when I was like that," he reminisced. "So young, so innocent." Sawyer grinned at him while Mina rolled her eyes.

There was a faint shout from across the square. The League turned to see who was making the noise.

"Dr Jekyll!" The voice was closer, but they still weren't sure where it was coming from. "Is that you Dr Jekyll?" There was a disturbance in the crowd ahead of them as a young lady in a long dress and a large hat fumbled her way through the masses. Jekyll squinted to try and focus on who it was.

There was a loud clatter as she managed to trip over a young child playing with some tin soldiers. She came flying forwards, her hat falling over her face, just managing to regain her balance in front of the five startled League members.

"Dr Jekyll?" The voice enquired again, the hat still covering her face. She raised her hands and lifted it back onto her head, causing her long black hair to billow over her shoulders. She gave a broad smile when she saw Jekyll.

"Bet," he replied softly.

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NB: Everso slightly awkward chapter but they're all good from now! And I couldn't wait any longer to post chapter four so go on and read it now! Reviews are gratefully recieved. 


	4. Old Acquaintances

**Disclaimer:** Ditto (see previous chapter)

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**Chapter 4 – Old Acquaintances**

Jekyll looked towards Bet in amazement.

"Just look at you!" He raved. "You look wonderful, Bet!" She beamed at him.

"Oh, it's not Bet anymore." She said, seriously. "It's Elizabeth, now. How are you, Dr Jekyll?" Her accent had defiantly improved. There was still a slight hint of cockney, but it had mainly been replaced with one not too different from Jekyll's.

"I'm alright, thank you. But what are you doing in this part of London?" Jekyll asked, inquisitively. "Your home is miles away from here." He put his arms out towards her and held her hands.

"I'm staying in a hotel. I've only been here for a few days; I go back home tomorrow." She replied, excitedly. "I'm on my honeymoon." Jekyll stopped for a moment and looked down at her hands. She was wearing a wedding ring. He felt a cold sweat run down his back.

"Congratulations, Elizabeth!" Skinner moved forwards, grabbed her hand from Jekyll and proceeded to pump it up and down in a firm handshake. Jekyll broke away and took a few paces back. "And who is the lucky man, may we ask?" Bet's eyes widened.

"Oh," she exclaimed, loudly. "John! I'd forgotten all about him!" Instantly, she turned and clumsily bolted back through the crowd. There was a short silence.

"Well," Mina began. "She seems like a very excitable woman." She turned to Jekyll who was staring out into space. "Are you sure it's the same girl as before?" Jekyll broke from his trance.

"Erm," he mumbled. "Of course she is. She's just had a bit of upper class up bringing now." It had been over two years since Bet had left the Nautilus to start a new life, living in Jekyll's old house. He had told her to go out and get married, hoping that he wouldn't have to bump into the fortunate groom himself. Sawyer subtly moved over to Jekyll and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," He whispered. "I'm sorry." Jekyll turned to Sawyer and gave him a weak smile.

The crowd was disturbed once more as Bet made her way through the people, dragging behind her a rather startled man. He was small and slim, with blond hair. He had a deceivingly youthful appearance. Bet released his hand and he strode towards the group.

"How do you do," His slight Devonian accent was out of place. It was obvious that he wasn't brought up in London. He stepped back and observed everyone. "So you are the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Elizabeth hardly every talks about anyone else!" Bet fumbled her way forwards to introduce everyone.

"This is my husband, John Stapleton. He's a botanist." She pointed at each of the League members in turn. "John, this is Mina Harker, she's a scientist too. Tom Sawyer, he's come over from America, you could ask him about those American insects you're so interested in. Captain Nemo, you would love some of his inventions, John. Rodney Skinner..." John stared at Skinner, suspiciously. Skinner wondered whether Bet had told her husband about his uniqueness. Bet continued "And of course, Dr Henry Jekyll." A smile swept across John's face as he leant forwards and held a hand out for him to shake. Cautiously, Jekyll took it.

"Well, well," John exclaimed. "It's nice to meet you at last. Elizabeth has told me everything about you."

"Everything?" Jekyll asked, nervously. Bet spoke up.

"Well, I couldn't have told you everything, now could I John?" She tried to catch Jekyll's eye. "Everybody has their private matters. He's bound to by _hid_ing something from us." Jekyll relaxed a bit. The fewer people that new about Mr Hyde, the better.

"Yes, your right." John released Jekyll's hand. "But I'm surprised your Uncle Henry should keep any secrets from you." There was a slight pause.

"Uncle Henry?" Jekyll mumbled. Skinner smirked. A sheepish look spread across Bet's face.

"Yes, but I'm sure I can forgive him for that." She took John's hands. "After all, he was kind enough to let me stay in his house when he was called to work with the League." She explained, obviously trying to fill Jekyll in about his past.

"And I assure you, Uncle Henry," John interrupted. "We are eternally grateful for that. You must come over and look at my collection of butterflies. I know you're not a biologist, but I'm sure you'll find them really interesting." Bet rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, must you always go on about your butterflies?"

"Yes, darling," he kissed her on the forehead. "But I'm afraid I must leave you now. I have to go and talk to the park keeper to discuss the conservation act." He turned back to the League, and shook each of their hands in turn. "I must say it's been a pleasure to meet you all. You are welcome to come over any time you like. Just give us a message."

"That sounds wonderful, Mr Stapleton," Mina exclaimed.

"Oh, please," John interrupted. "Please, call me John." Mina smiled.

"Thank you, John. We will be sure to take up your offer." John faced Bet.

"I'll see you later then, Elizabeth," he uttered. "Back at the hotel." Bet nodded and watched over him as he made his way past the League and around the corner until he was out of sight. She turned back to face the others, her eyes resting on Dr Jekyll. They stood there staring at each other for a moment.

"Well," spoke Sawyer, breaking the silence. "I think we'd better be getting along." Mina and Nemo took his hint and began to break away from the group. Sawyer followed, realising that Skinner was still lingering. "Erm, Skinner?"

"What?" Skinner asked turning to face him.

"We're going to need you." Sawyer stated. Skinner still stood there, oblivious.

"What for?" Sawyer grabbed Skinner by the coat and started to walk him in the direction of Mina and Nemo. He turned his head to Jekyll.

"We won't be far off," Sawyer told him. "Find us when you're ready." And with that, the four of them walked off. Jekyll looked at Bet.

"Uncle Henry?" He asked. Bet looked at her feet.

"Well, I couldn't tell him the truth, could I?" She mumbled. "I've left my old life behind. He would ask questions if it seemed like a complete stranger just offered for me to live in his house. I don't want to bring my past up again!" Jekyll didn't reply. He didn't know how to feel. There was a dull stab of jealousy in his chest, but he knew that Bet had done the right thing. She put her hand on his cheek. "I have missed you though. Living in your house, there are reminders of you everywhere." She paused. "Why did you never visit?" However, Jekyll's mind was elsewhere

"Stapleton hasn't been searching through my notes has he? I never really had a chance to pick anything up." Bet was shaking her head.

"Don't worry." Bet reassured him. "I moved everything out of your laboratory into the attic. I knew you wouldn't want your stuff messed with. Besides, he's only seen the house once. He doesn't move in until after the honeymoon, tomorrow. What sort of woman do you think I am?" She giggled at Jekyll, who let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Bet," he thanked her. She shook her head.

"Oh, no, you mustn't call me that now!" she told him. "John knows me as Elizabeth. He doesn't like nicknames. And you must call him John. He finds it uncomfortable when people try to be too formal to him." Jekyll, who didn't want to go into the likes and dislikes of Bet's husband, swiftly changed the subject.

"I wouldn't mind having some of those notes back." Jekyll said to himself. "They might help with my work."

"The invitation is open." Bet assured him. "You can come over and pick up your belongings then." She smiled at Jekyll. There was an awkward silence. Jekyll didn't really want to spend any more time with John Stapleton, but it would be nice if he could have all his old notebooks back. Bet spoke up. "I guess we'll see you when you've the chance to visit then."

"Yes," Jekyll replied, quietly. "I guess you will." Neither of them moved. They continued to just look at each other.

"Well," Bet muttered. She held a hand out for Jekyll to shake. He looked at it briefly before taking it gently in his own. She shook his hand. "I'd best be going." Jekyll nodded. She let go of his hand and backed away from him. Smiling sweetly, she turned and walked away through the crowds.

Jekyll turned in the direction where Sawyer had disappeared. Thoughtfully, he followed the rest of the League around the corner.

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NB: Hurray! I've finally been able to post my fav chapter! What'd'ya think? Now are you ready for some action (as promised)? Oh, good. I'm glad. Reviews welcome, yadda, yadda, yadda... 


	5. The First Clue

**To whom it may concern:**

Thank you for the reviews.

_Faust_ - Aw, come on now! He did tell her to go off and get married, you can't blame her for that! You just sit there with your soothing lavender!  
_Drakena the Destroyer_ - You're totally right. But now get ready for some action! (this being the first real action I have ever written!) Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** Nope it doesn't belong to me.

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**Chapter 5 – The First Clue**

"St. James's Park," Sawyer stated, gazing at the greenery around them. Their anonymous messenger obviously wanted them to come here, but now that they were here, the League were a little stuck for something to do.

"Well, what do we do now we're here?" Skinner asked the others, impatiently. He kicked at the grass below his feet. Mina walked over to a tree and inspected it closely while Nemo looked out for anyone who might be trying to gaining their attention.

"There isn't much we can do, for the moment," Mina replied, removing a glove to touch the bark of the tree. "'If we need him', the messenger told us. I suppose we should wait until he contacts us."

"He didn't sound that interested in letting us know who he was," Skinner told Mina. "What makes you think that he'll suddenly reveal himself to us now?" Skinner sat himself down and leant against a tree.

"It's the only lead we have," Nemo said, sternly. "Are you suggesting that we should just ignore it, Mr Skinner?" He turned to look at the invisible man, leaning against the tree. Skinner ignored this remark.

Sawyer strolled around, looking for anything peculiar. There were just as many people in St. James's Park as there were in the streets. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. It was just your average summer day.

Sighing, he sat himself down on a bench beside a small lake. He looked at the ducks swim across the water and noticed a reflection of a lady. She seemed to be looking straight at him. Looking up, Sawyer looked over the lake to see her more clearly. Obviously older than himself, her dark brown hair was tied up in a very formal fashion. He noticed that she had a very dark complexion, much darker than any other British woman he had met. She wore an elegant dress that fitted her tall, slim figure perfectly. She continued to look at Sawyer.

Smiling at her, Sawyer rose and decided to make his way across the lake to speak to her. He was interrupted by Jekyll returning.

"Have you found anything useful yet?" Jekyll asked, as he approached Sawyer. He shook his head.

"Nope," Sawyer replied. Jekyll walked away from him and towards the others. Taking this opportunity, Sawyer turned to face the woman over the lake. He couldn't see her. His eyes darted over the area, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"This is hopeless," Skinner spoke up, remaining seated on the floor. "We aren't going to find anything!" As much as he annoyed Mina, she was beginning to agree with him. They had been searching for almost an hour now, and they hadn't seen anything that could possibly help. Not that she was entirely sure what they could find that would help them. They were lacking slightly in clues. Someone was planning to steal a priceless emerald from the British museum. They knew nothing of the thief, or of the person who had informed them of this.

The League remained there for another hour, still unsuccessful. Most people had left the park and the evening was drawing in. Sawyer continued to look out for the woman he had seen over the lake, but he had not seen her again.

"I suggest we head back before it gets dark," Nemo told the others. Each agreeing with Nemo, the four others grouped together with him.

They had just started walking, when Jekyll stopped abruptly.

"Did you hear that?" He asked them, looking around. They listened intently to whatever it was that Jekyll was talking about. There was a very faint noise; similar to the rustling of leaves. "What do you suppose it is?" Jekyll asked them nervously.

"It's just the wind in the trees," Skinner told him. "Honestly, Jekyll. Calm down!" Skinner set off walking again, but realising that he was the only one, stopped and turned back to face the motionless League. "Are you lot coming or..."

Slowly, behind the others, a huge green, leafy vine was creeping up behind them. It curled high into the air, poising to strike. Skinner let out a yell, warning the others.

Nemo, Mina, Jekyll and Sawyer all scattered in different directions as the single vine lashed out at where they had been previously standing. Without pause, it lifted back up into the air and hurled itself at Nemo, who managed to leap out of the way just in time. Removing his sword, he started to swing at the vine, which curled and twisted out of the way.

Just as the others were about to rush over to Nemo, another two vines curled out from behind the trees. They were phenomenal in size. The vine itself must have been at least a foot in diameter, and had large, five lobed leaves. The stems were covered in sinister looking thorns. The two new vines darted at Sawyer and Mina.

Skinner, who had shed his clothes by now, ran down the length of the vine, searching for its roots. He managed to get as far as the tree it had first emerged from when he noticed a dark figure in the distance. Distracted for a moment, he stopped and squinted trying to see who or what it was. Just then one of the leaves hit him sharply across the face. It was as if a piece of sandpaper had been pulled across his cheek. He muttered under his breath reaching to his face. It was bleeding. Cursing under his breath he looked up again, just in time to see the figure disappear into a group of trees ahead of them. He set out to follow him.

The vine lashed at Mina, as she dissolved into a flurry of bats. Attaching themselves to the vine, the bats tried to disable it as Mina turned to Jekyll.

"What are you waiting for?" She called to him. "Change into Hyde!" Not needing further instruction, Jekyll grabbed a vial of potion from his jacket and quickly downed it.

Sawyer pulled his gun from off his shoulder and started firing wildly at the approaching vine. The thorns started to fire themselves at Sawyer, who dodged a few before getting hit in the arm with one. Biting his lip, he grabbed at it trying to pull it from his arm.

Once the transformation finished, Hyde ran towards the vine and grabbed two of the leaves. He leapt into the tangle of creepers and started trying to rip them apart.

Managing to get the vine where he wanted it, Nemo brought his sword down on it, cutting off the last yard of the tip. The vine curled back in pain and thrashed about.

It began to retreat from the League, curling behind the trees.

"Quickly!" Nemo cried to the others. "Find out where it's going!" Sawyer bounded after the vine. He followed it through the first band of trees and saw it curl behind a small clump of trees in front of him.

Running after it, he ran into the group of trees, but as soon as they had done so, the vine had disappeared.

"Where the hell has that gone?" Sawyer exclaimed. He took another pace forwards, and promptly fell into a heap on the floor.

"Watch where you're going," Skinner yelled, pulling himself from the floor. "I almost had her!" Sawyer looked up and briefly saw the woman he had seen earlier run out of sight.

Standing quickly, he turned to where he though Skinner was.

"Who is she?" Sawyer asked Skinner.

"I don't know," he replied. "But I think we've found our thief."

Skinner and Sawyer returned to the others, who were recovering after the attack. Hyde was painfully turning back into Jekyll and Mina was composing herself.

"The thief is a woman!" Sawyer shouted out to them. "We saw her running away. She must have been trying to stop us." Nemo looked up towards them.

"And of the vine?" He asked. Sawyer shook his head.

"We lost it." He said apologetically. "Sorry." Skinner obtained his coat and swiftly put it back on.

"It's ain't half getting chilly now!" He exclaimed to the others. "Fancy giving us a hug to warm us up, Mina?" She gave him a stern look and walked towards Nemo who held the tip of the vine that he had chopped off. The others crowded around him to look at it. It wasn't like anything they'd seen before.

"What an earth is it?" Jekyll asked, breathless.

"I don't know." Nemo told him. "But I know who will."

* * *

NB: There we go! How was it? Reviews are welcome, hint, hint! 


	6. Jekyll's Old Home

**To whom it may concern:**

Ta for the reviews!

_Sawyer Fan_ - You want to fix Sawyer's owie? Go ahead ::bundles Sawyer up into a bin bag and passes him to Sawyer Fan:: He's all yours! ;)  
_Faust_ - That fic you mentioned wasn't in my favorites list before, but it is now! Thanks for introducing it to me.

**Disclaimer:** Guess what? It still doesn't belong to me!

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Jekyll's Old Home**

The next evening, the League set off into London once more, but this time they headed to Jekyll's old home. It was late, and the street was filled with an eerie silence. They walked along the cobblestones, and up to the front door. Nemo stepped forwards and knocked loudly on the door.

"Are you sure Stapleton's the right person to ask?" Jekyll asked the others.

"Whom else do we know of who could identify this plant?" Nemo replied. "John's a botanist, and the only one we know." Jekyll shuffled in his shoes. He knew that Nemo was right, but he really didn't want to be here.

The door opened slowly and revealed John standing behind it.

"Goodness!" He exclaimed. "We weren't expecting you this soon!" Mina stepped forwards.

"Yes, John." She said, politely. "We were wondering if you could help us with something." He smiled broadly back at them, opening the door wider.

"Ah, need my wonderful expertise, eh? I'd be more than happy to help." He replied to her. "Come on in."

They followed John into the house. The house was filled with large cardboard boxes full of everyday object and dustsheets covered the tables.

"You must excuse the mess," John told them as he led them into the living room. "We were only able to move my belongings in today. It's been a great inconvenience." Sawyer stopped by one box. It was filled with large picture frames with colourful butterflies and moths pinned in place, each with a neatly handwritten note under it naming the species. He took one out and examined it. John had been collecting these for a long time; there were hundreds of different varieties. The others filed into the living room. John noticed the straggler and was delighted to find him looking at his butterfly collection.

"Oh, you like butterflies, do you?" John asked him. Sawyer looked up and placed the frame back in the box.

"Erm," he replied, guiltily. "Not really." John's face dropped.

"Ah, well." He spoke softly. "Never mind." He gestured for Sawyer to go into the living room. The two of them walked through to the next room.

The room looked a lot bigger than it had done before hand, Jekyll thought. This room, like the hallway, was also filled with different sized boxes. The walls were bare, but there was still a warm glow in the room.

"Brandy, anyone?" John asked, as he walked over to the liquor cabinet. Skinner's eyes lit up.

"Yes, please." He spoke up, before any of the others could open their mouths. John poured a generous helping of Brandy, which Skinner took with great pleasure.

"Anyone else?" John asked. There was a mumble of agreement from the group.

At that moment, the door opened and Bet walked into the room. She looked first at John and then noticed the other's present and her eyes lit up.

"Oh, John," she said, flustered. "You didn't tell me we had company."

"I was just about to, Elizabeth," he replied to her, pouring out drinks for the rest of the League. "Honestly, I was, darling." Bet made her way into the room and made a point of sitting near Jekyll.

"Cheers, Elizabeth!" Skinner said as he took a large gulp of his drink. She smiled at him before turning to Jekyll.

"Did you want to get your belongings now?" she whispered, discretely. Jekyll nodded back at her. Smiling, Bet turned to face John.

"John," she called to him, as he was pouring himself a very large drink. "Would you mind if I could take Uncle Henry away from your company. I want to show him what I've done upstairs." John smiled at her broadly.

"Of course!" He replied cheerfully, taking a hearty sip. "That is unless Uncle Henry's presence is needed here." Jekyll rose and turned to the rest of the League.

"I'm sure they won't mind if I leave this to them, Stapleton." Jekyll said to John. John raised an eyebrow.

"Please," he told Jekyll, more forcefully than he had done the previous day. "Call me John. I am you're nephew now, remember." Jekyll turned to face him.

"I think it would be best if I called you Stapleton." Their eyes fixed on each other's for a few moments. Jekyll's eyes had a slight spark of menace in them, and John responded similarly for an instant. Breaking away, John smiled broadly and took another sip of his brandy.

"Well," he said cheerfully. "I guess it's you're choice, Uncle Henry." Jekyll flinched slightly. There was something very disturbing about John calling him Uncle. Slowly he turned to face the rest of the league again. "It's alright if I leave you for a bit, isn't it?"

"It's fine." Nemo told him. "I know it's been a long time since you've been here." Jekyll smiled and, offering an arm for a slightly awkward Bet to take, the two left the room.

"Now," John exclaimed. "What is it you need my help for?"

The door closed behind them and Bet turned to Jekyll. She was frowning slightly.

"Did you have to make such a fuss in front of John?" she asked him as politely as she could. He gave her a sheepish look and walked along the corridor ahead of her.

"I don't like him, Bet," he told her. She rolled her eyes and walked quickly to catch up with him. "You could have chosen someone with a slightly smaller ego."

"Oh, leave him alone," she giggled at him, hitting him jokingly on his shoulder. "You're far too prejudiced. First Skinner, now John." Jekyll was still stern. Bet tried to support John. "He was really sweet to me, you know."

"I bet he was," Jekyll sulked.

Nemo handed John the sample of the vine. Putting down his brandy glass, John grabbed for an eyepiece and started to study it intensely. There was little expression on his face. He looked extremely puzzled more than anything.

"To be totally honest," he said to the group not looking up from the plant. "Insects are more in my field of work. I'm not too bad with shrubs and vines, but this is very unusual." He placed it on the table and rushed up and across the room. He started to ferret about in cardboard boxes pulling out reams and reams of paper and notebooks.

"How much stuff does he have?" Skinner whispered to Sawyer. Sawyer leant towards him.

"Just as much as you have," Sawyer answered him, recalling a previous conversation with Jekyll. "From what I've heard, anyway." Mina shot them both a look telling them that, if they valued the full nine pints of blood in their system, they should shut up.

John sprung up from the cluster of boxes with a tatty notebook in his hands. There was a confused look on his face. He walked towards the others again, looking in the book.

"That's what I though," he said to himself, quietly. John sat back in his chair and took a large gulp of brandy. He turned the book to face the League and placed the vine besides the expertly drawn sketch of a plant. They were identical.

"Humulus Japonicus?" Sawyer queried, reading the writing at the top of the page. John nodded.

"Also known as Japanese Hops." He informed them. "It's found in Asia, how it ended up over here, I have no idea."

"Well," Nemo said. "At least we know what it is now." John gave them a discouraging look.

"However, this plant you have given me is far too big," he spoke softly. He pointed to the different features of the plant "The leaves are mean to be 2 to 4 inches long, and these leaves are almost a foot long." John continued to point out the differences as the others started to feel downhearted about this lead.

"They're only meant to grow to 40 feet in length. If what you described to me is correct, there is no way that a Japanese Hop could grow that long, let alone at that rate."

He placed the book back on his desk and gave the vine back to Nemo. John stepped back, looking slightly disturbed. "I could be wrong, but there is no way that that is a Japanese Hop. You're back at square one, I'm afraid."

* * *

NB: There goes another one. So much for actually obtaining a clue, huh? I dunno, perhaps I'll throw something more useful at them in the next chapter. Reviews gratefully recieved!


	7. Old Notebooks

**To whom it may concern:**

I apologise for the long wait. You know how it is!

Thanks for the reviews!

_SawyerFan_ - That's what Sawyer's there for, really! What fun would it be if you couldn't bang him up? Leading up to action? I think I've just realised that I'm naff at action and am, therefore, not writting much. In my opinion, action just interrupts the storyline! And as for Mr Vandeluer, well...  
_Faust_ - About Mr Utterson. I had never though of that, but thinking on it further, you know that Jekyll changed his will so that Hyde would have everything, but did he ever change it back? I must read the book again soon! Velkan? You must introduce me to Velkan! And I'm fresh out of rats, I'm afraid! There must be something else in the air.  
_Morph_ - Thanks for saying that that was your favorite line! I'm not very good at humour, but I was quite partial to that one myself! I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for the review!  
_Razz_ - ::completely bored voice:: Thankyou, darling sister, for revieing my fic. It was the most complimentary review I have ever had ::normal voice:: NOT! And you'd better not give away the plot, besides, I've changed it since I last told you! So there! ::blows a raspberry:: Huh! (Ta for reviewing though!)

**Disclaimer:** Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must still mean that I don't own LXG! Damn, probability!

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Old Notebooks**

John poured another drink for each of the others present, as if to try to cheer them up after the disappointment with the vine.

"I'm really sorry that I couldn't help you," he told them, passing round the drinks. Nobody replied to him. This was the only real lead they had on the enemy, and they could make nothing of it. John walked back to his chair and sat down.

"I will continue to research into this plant," John told Nemo directly. "Is there any address with which I can contact you?"

"There is no address for the Nautilus," Nemo informed John, who took a sip from his glass. "However," Nemo added, thinking for a moment. "I do have a radio that I could give you to contact us. It's very easy to pick up, I will get one of my crewmen to show you how to use it." John smiled broadly at him.

"Well, thank you very much," he cried with gusto, swirling the brandy around his glass. "I will ensure that you shall receive news on any progress I make."

There was a large cloud of dust that billowed up as Jekyll opened the hatch to the attic. Holding a lit candle in his hand, he climbed cautiously into the room.

"Are you sure you want to come up?" Jekyll asked Bet. "It's a bit dusty up here." He turned to look down through the hatch to see Bet, but she had already climbed up and was standing behind him.

"I know," she answered. "I did have to come up here to put your belongings away to begin with." Jekyll paused for a moment, then turned and made his way further into the dark.

"You're sure that Stapleton hasn't been messing about up here?" Jekyll asked Bet. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes! John hasn't been near the attic." She assured him. "Goodness, he only moved in today." Jekyll frowned and turned to face her.

"I really don't want anybody messing with these notes," he told her. "They're dangerous; you know they are." Bet giggled at him.

"You really must stop worrying so much," she told him, placing a hand on his arm. "Besides," she continued overtaking Jekyll and walking further into the attic. "John would have no interest in your work." She sighed, feeling slightly downhearted. "All he ever thinks about are his butterflies."

John sighed deeply as there was another lull in conversation and the room became silent. There was a definite gloom spread about the place. John shuffled in his chair, trying to think of a topic of conversation to take everyone's mind off the vine.

"Sawyer," he called out. "You're from America." John paused as if waiting for a reply from Sawyer. Sawyer smiled politely, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes," he replied. "I know."

"No, no, no." John muttered. "Let me finish! I mean, you're from America so you obviously know a little about some of the moths that you have over there." Sawyer blushed slightly, feeling awkward.

"I'm really not a butterfly person, John," He told him. John waved his hand in denial.

"Of course not," he placed his glass on the table beside him and leant forwards towards Sawyer. "But surely you've seen the lunar moth. It green and is about this big," he told him, indicating the size of the moth with his fingers. "They're very common, but I haven't been able to get one for my collection yet. You must have seen one." Sawyer shook his head.

"I'm really sorry," he told John. "I really couldn't tell you." John slumped in his seat.

"Never mind," he said weakly as he picked his drink back up and took another large gulp.

Jekyll followed Bet deeper into the attic. He wished that she hadn't married, especially to someone like Stapleton. There really wasn't anything wrong with the fellow, but Jekyll just didn't want to trust him. He was a threat. But Bet trusted him. Maybe her judgement should be respected. Gritting his teeth, Jekyll asked the question he really didn't want to.

"How did you meet each other?" He asked Bet, nonchalantly. She deserved for him to be civil towards her. She was obviously smitten by this man.

Bet stopped and smiled warmly. She turned to face Jekyll, moving the candle he was holding to see him properly.

"It was rather strange, to be totally honest." She explained to him. "I had decided to go out to buy some essentials from the market when I bumped into him." She tilted her head down and looked through the top of her eyes at the disinterested Jekyll. "Literally, I didn't see him at all. I just tripped straight over him as I walked from the door. He must have been walking past the house at the time.

"Anyway," she continued. "He was very sweet to me; extremely apologetic. I invited him in for a cup of tea as an apology for walking into him. He accepted and we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about our lives. He had asked how I came about to living in a house by myself and that's when I had to make up the whole story about you being my Uncle.

"From there we became friends and then earlier this year, he proposed to me." Jekyll looked into Bet's eyes, slightly disappointed. Responding to this, Bet took a step towards him. "I was only doing what you asked me to." Jekyll nodded at her silently.

Feeling slightly awkward, Bet turned and walked a few paces further. She bent down and placed her hands into the shadows.

"Here they are," Bet told Jekyll, pulling out a large wooden box. She wiped the dirt that covered the lid and opened it carefully. "Everything that I found in your study was put in here."

"Thank you," Jekyll told her passing her the candle and pulling the papers and notes out of the box. "Everything seems to be here."

He continued to check through the notebooks, one by one. He had forgotten how much work he had actually done before starting out on the quest to separate good from evil. He really should try to continue with some of his previous experiments, he thought to himself, now that he had a little more spare time. Jekyll went to lift the next book out of the box. It was a lot lighter that he had expected and he almost dropped it as he over estimated how much force to pull it with. Placing it on his lap he wiped the dust off the cover. He froze; it wasn't what he had expected it to be. Bet, noticing that he had stopped walked over towards him with the candle.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"They're my notes on Hyde," Jekyll answered her.

Jekyll held a large notebook in his hand. It was labelled "The Separation of the Dual Nature of Man." He opened it to reveal the first few pages of neatly handwritten notes. Bet marvelled at the intricate detail that Jekyll had gone into. He turned the third page and Bet gasped.

The remaining pages had been torn from the book.

* * *

NB: Oo er missus! (as Andy Peters would say) I'm rapidly running out of pre-written chapters! I can't say when the next one will be up, as I haven't finished it yet. I may need inspiration to hit me. But not too hard, I bruise easily! Reviews are... you know the drill! 


	8. Back to the Nautilus

**To whom it may concern:**

Thank you for your lovely reviews!

_Morph_ - Thank you! I was trying to give people the impression that John was getting a little tipsy. It made my sister laught too, so it must be good!   
_Faust_ - You're right, Jekyll is a trooper. I love writing him. Thanks for correcting me about the will thing. I guess that's another fact that I'll have to skim over. (Like the fact that Griffin's invisibility thing is physics not chemistry!) Anyway, at least I can admit that I did know Lanyon was dead. (Mind you I didn't really like him anyway...)   
_Drakena the Destroyer_ - Who would tear the pages out? Someone who wanted the formula! I don't know, John's kinda growing on me. I rather like him!

**Disclaimer:** Bah! You know what I'm gonna say anyhow!

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Back to the Nautilus**

"Thank you for your help, John," Mina shook his hand, standing to leave.

"I'm only sorry I couldn't do anything more." He replied, opening the door for them to walk into the corridor. He smiled at them each in turn as they passed him.

At that moment, Jekyll and Bet walked down the stairs together. Jekyll looked much shaken and Bet was obviously forcing a smile at the others.

"What have you two been up to upstairs?" Skinner asked cheekily. "You've taken your time. We were just about to send out a search party." Jekyll didn't reply and avoided all eye contact with the others. Bet turned at the bottom of the stairs and walked over to John.

"I was just showing him around the rooms upstairs," she explained to the others. "It brought back a lot of old memories. We took much longer than we thought we would." John put his arm around Bet's waist.

"And I missed every moment of you," he told her. Mina smiled at the young couple and Jekyll rolled his eyes.

"Are we heading off now?" He asked, trying to divert the attention from Bet and Stapleton.

"Yes," Nemo told him. "We've got a lot to discuss."

"So have I," Jekyll replied, trying to hurry the others up to leave. He needed to tell them about his notes, but he didn't want to do it in front of John.

Nemo turned to John. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's the least I could so," John replied. "And I promise that I will get in contact with you if I make any progression with that vine." Jekyll had a small smile on his face.

"Oh," He exclaimed, trying to sound upset. "You weren't able to identify it then?" He turned to face John.

"On the contrary," Mina spoke up. "John identified what it was, but it's the wrong size." John smiled innocently at Jekyll. "She must be using some sort of growth hormone to make it bigger." John's eyes lit up at the mention of identity of the thief.

"She? You know who it is you're looking for?" He asked them, intrigued. Sawyer stepped forwards.

"Well, not exactly," He told, John. "We saw her escaping with the vine after it had attacked us. I got a good look at her before hand, but that's all that we're able to go on."

"Oh, do tell me," John asked, excitedly. "I'd love to be able to help with your little mystery!" He beckoned them back into the sitting room. Jekyll slouched slightly and followed them.

After everyone was seated with another glass of brandy, John egged them on to tell him all they knew about this woman. Sawyer described her as best he could, and told him about how she had disappeared when he turned back to her.

John's eyes were wide and interested. He reacted eagerly to everything Sawyer said.

"So you never got to speak to this woman at all?" He asked them. Nemo shook his head.

"No," Nemo told him. "Sawyer failed to catch her."

"Hey," Sawyer spoke up. "That wasn't my fault! If Skinner was wearing something, I wouldn't have tripped over him." Skinner turned to him.

"If Skinner was wearing something he wouldn't have been able to follow her without her seeing him!" Skinner replied to Sawyer. John looked slightly puzzled.

"Why weren't you wearing anything?" He asked, curiously.

"Skinner has strange hobbies..." Jekyll spoke up, before the others could say anything. "Now I hope you don't mind but I really feel as if we should be going. I need to tell..." Skinner interrupted Jekyll.

"Stop worrying, Jekyll!" He told him. "We can tell John. After all, Elizabeth knows." Jekyll opened his mouth to interrupt again, but closed it when he saw Bet looking at him.

Skinner stood up and pulled his sleeve up, revealing to John that his arm was invisible. John blinked slightly, and looked at his brandy glass.

"I must have drunk more that I thought I had," he muttered to himself. He leant forward and touched Skinner's arm.

"Extraordinary," He whispered to himself,

"That is the idea," Skinner replied. John leant back in his seat.

"I always wondered why you looked so pale!" He told Skinner. He gazed at each of them in turn. "I thought you were just a bunch of do-gooders." He turned to Bet. "Elizabeth, you knew all along?"

"It's wasn't really my place to tell you, darling." She said softly to him. He smiled broadly at the rest of them. "So, anyone else have something they want to reveal?"

"John..." Bet hissed. "You shouldn't ask such a thing!"

"I have every right to ask them when they are in my house," John said to her, almost sternly. Jekyll tightened his fists. His house, indeed!

"None the less, I think it is time for us to go," Nemo piped up. "We have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Ah, well," John replied, looking rather dishevelled. "Some other time then."

"Quite." Jekyll said, standing to leave.

The League stood a few yards outside the house on the wet cobblestones, as John and Bet waved them off from the door. Bidding them farewell, all but Jekyll turned from the door and started to make their retreat from the house.

Bet looked sternly at John as he reached for the door.

"Honestly," She murmured, placing a hand on John's arm. "You had no right to ask them any such thing, Jack." John grimaced, taking her hand and leading her into the house.

"Please don't call me by that hideous nickname," Jekyll heard him reply to her. "I've told you not to, far too many times before."

The door closed firmly behind them. Slowly, he looked around and followed the others.

Jekyll caught up with the others. He was about to tell them about his notes when Sawyer spoke up.

"What are we going to do now?" He asked the others as they walked slowly to the Nemomobile to take them back to the Nautilus.

"My crewmen have been trying to track the location of the message." Nemo told him. "They may have some news when we return."

"Let's hope so," Mina added. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She looked ahead of them in a fixated stare. "Did you retrieve your notes, Henry?" She asked without looking at him. Jekyll and Sawyer stopped and looked back at her. "I assume that was what you were looking for." Jekyll paused for a moment, slightly surprised.

"Erm... yes, that's what I was looking for." He replied. "But they were missing. I was trying to tell you but I didn't think that..."

"She has got them," Sawyer interrupted. A wide smile grew across his face. "Of course! Why didn't we think of it before?" Jekyll stood for a moment trying to catch up with the train of thought Mina and Sawyer were sharing.

"I don't think I understand what you mean," He told them timidly, but they didn't seem to be listening.

"Nemo! Skinner!" Sawyer called to the pair who had continued walking ahead. "We need to contact our messenger tonight. I think we've got something." He broke into a run and caught up with the pair, Mina close behind him.

"Don't worry about me!" Jekyll called behind them. "You can tell me about it later, I'm sure." Sighing deeply, he traipsed behind them to the Nautilus.

* * *

NB: Yeah, so this was a sort of in betweeny chapter. I'm hoping the next will be a bit better. Ah, well! Reviews are appriciated.


	9. Another Message

**To whom it may concern:**

Sorry for being so long getting back to this. A certain member of my family (who shall remain nameless) decided that it would be fun to send my laptop off to be repaired over Christmas. The finally pronounced it dead at the end of January and I've only really just got familiar with my new machine.

_Faust_ - Don't get me wrong, Faust, I'd love to chat about the book, but if you want to do so please email me instead of writting in my reviews. The reviews are feedback for my story, not R L Stevenston's.  
_Sammet Liselle_ - Come on, McSlytherin, you know how I fell about my John! And Bet is anything but intellegent, trust me on that one. As for what happens next, I'll tell you now.  
_Morph_ - Ta for your short and sweet review! Sorry for not updatting sooner.

**Disclaimer:** Good news folks! I finally own LXG :listens to earpiece and whispers: What did you say? What do you mean the paperwork didn't go through :sheepish grin: Erm, forget I said anything!

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Another Message**

"It is imperitive that we get back in contact with that anonymous messenger," Nemo called to a crewman as the League boarded the Nautilus once more. "See what you can do to speed up the process." The crewman bowed politely and walked off to the communications room.

"The thief stole Jekyll's notes on Hyde's potion," Sawyer explained to the others. Nemo's eyes widened slightly. Jekyll shuffled on his feet.

"Yes, about that." He muttered. "I was wondering if it were possible for you to tell me what makes you think she took it, and for what reason." Sawyer turned to Jekyll and grinned, cheekily.

"You can't see it?" He asked. Jekyll reluctantly shook his head. Sawyer folded his arms in triumph and began to explain. "You've got to admit that the vine, that "Japanese Hop", wasn't acting particularly naturally. Say that this woman had managed to make up your potion and somehow administer it into the vine. That would explain the size and nature of it."

"Very clever," Skinner commented. They began to make their way down the corridors of the Nautilus to the communications room.

"How long does it take to make the potion, Jekyll?" Nemo asked. Feeling a little stunned, Jekyll shook himself.

"Only a few hours," He told them. "She could have had the notes for much longer than that, though." He thought hard about the attic room. Nothing looked as though it had been disturbed, besides the book. There was no evidence of force on the hatch, nor had there been in any other part of the house. Not only must they have been taken before Bet had moved them into the attic, they must have been taken since she moved into the house. "They must have been taken since Bet moved in."

"Right," Mina said. "Tomorrow we'll ask Elizabeth about all the people she's invited into the house, and whether there were any opportunities for someone to enter without her knowing." She smiled at Jekyll. "We'll solve this, yet."

Jekyll smiled weakly back. How could Bet have been so careless with his work? Surely she had realised what the consequences would be if they fell into the wrong hands. He had told her of Hyde's fight with the Dante Beast. Jekyll knew that he didn't stand a chance and, if he were on control of the situation, would never have let Hyde on him in the first place.

"We're back in contact," Nemo's crewman called to the anxiously waiting League. Eagerly, they stepped towards him to listen to what their messenger had to say.

"I see you were able to visit me at St James Park." The crewman translated. "I'm only sorry that I wasn't able to contact you."

"I'm sure you were," Skinner scoffed, sarcastically. Mina shushed him.

"I had seen the thief, and decided that it was best not to reveal myself talking to you in their presence. I saw the vine being released, and did try to prevent it from reaching you without being spotted, but, as you know, I was unsuccessful."

"You can say that again," Sawyer whispered to himself, placing a hand over the wound on his arm.

"Tell him that we have seen the thief," Nemo told the crewman. "We might as well find out a little more about her." The crewman did so, but there was a long pause before a reply came.

"I did some research and have concluded that the vine that you encountered is a Japanese Hop. It had been tampered with by some sort of chemical to cause it to have a life of its own."

"Yes," Sawyer grinned broadly, leaning back on the wall behind him. "We kindda worked that one out for ourselves." Nemo frowned.

"Ask him again about this woman," Nemo commanded. Another long pause.

"The vine isn't the only thing this thief has prepared. You must be careful about whom you associate with. Any weakness will be spotted and taken out."

Nemo clenched his fingers into a fist. Why was their only contact being so stubborn? Surely, now that they had seen the thief, he would be more reluctant to give them more information. All they knew so far was she looked like and she had made a visit to Jekyll's house at some point in the last 28 months. He demanded the crewman to ask the question once more.

"You know enough about the thief for what is needed. I have been spying on them for a few weeks. I know the robbery will occur before the next full moon, but I'm still not sure when. Neither am I sure how they will do it. As soon as I get that information I will inform you."

"He's not going to budge," Mina spoke to Nemo, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think our best lead at the moment is the theft of Jekyll's notes." She stepped forwards and spoke to the crewman. "Thank him for what information he could give us and tell him that we will be ready to receive any more when he can tell us." The crewman looked at Nemo who, reluctantly, nodded back at him.

"I will contact you within the next four days. It won't be long now."

The signal went dead. Nemo allowed the crewman to exit, leaving the League on their own.

"What's our next step, then?" Sawyer asked, seating himself in the corner of the room. Mina walked to the radio and brushed her fingers along it.

"Tomorrow afternoon," Mina told him, "we'll return to the Stapleton's and ask Elizabeth about any female friends she may have invited into the house. If there is any joy from that, it's probably best to find out where this thief is residing."

"Even if we can't find her," Nemo continued. "There may be a great benefit from searching her house."

Jekyll had been very quiet during the whole of the message. In fact, he had hardly heard anything that had been said. His mind was distracted by his notes. If this thief did have them, the vine wouldn't be the only thing she could use it on. Any living plant or animal could be affected by it. He ran a hand through his hair.

"For now," Nemo said. "I suggest we all get some sleep. We may have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

Slowly, the League filtered out of the communications room and to their rooms.

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NB: There we are! Next chapter we can get back into the flow of the story a bit better. Reviews are greatly appreciated! 


	10. Kidnapped!

**To whom it may concern:**

Yeah, so that was a long break. Not intentional, but I was just so stuck on this next chapter and then I had to fuss about Uni! I resolved this by chucking out this chapter and just adding a few paragraphs to the start of this one. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of this fic soon.

_Sammet Liselle_ - No, Sawyer doesn't die... in this fic. I have one in mind where he might kick the bucket, but alas, not this fic. Sorry I haven't emailed in ages either. I will do so tonight, after posting this!

_Morph _- Thanks for the compliment. And, ok, so the update wasn't soon, but I hope you're still interested in reading it.

_Faust_ - No problem! It's good to over analyse things. Give me an email if you want to some more!

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Not gonna be ever. :sniff:

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**Chapter 10 – Kidnapped!**

"We are receiving another message," Nemo's crewman told him. "It's from John Stapleton. It may take a while to translate. The reception can't be very clear."

The League walked into the communications room and waited. The radio emitted slow, separated beeps, as if someone was using it very slowly.

"kaling the leeg ov xtrodinare gentulmen." The crewman translated slowly. "Ar yu ther?"

"It must be Bet!" Jekyll exclaimed. Nemo nodded to the crewman to reply. They waited patiently for the reply. Jekyll tapped his fingers on his side. What could have happened to cause Bet to need to get in contact with them? She could barely read or write. If they needed to get in contact, surely Stapleton would have sent the message!

"Jons bin kidnapd. The hous haz bin intrudid."

There was a strange silence as the League looked at each other. Jekyll let out a mental sigh of relief and calmed down slightly.

"She must have known he was helping us!" Mina commented. "She was following us the other evening. I knew I saw something!" She looked at the others as if to find some support in her theory. The crewman spoke again.

"Plees cum qwikly. I dont feel saf. Thers sumthing heer." Jekyll stepped forwards and spoke to the crewman.

"Tell her it's alright, we'll be there soon." He said urgently. "But do it slowly. She can't really read and she'll be trying to translate from a code book." The crewman tapped slowly at the radio. There was a long pause before Bet replied.

"Thank yu. Im reely worryd abot him." He translated slowly. Jekyll was already walking out of the communications room. Mina told the crewman to wind up the conversation, and called after Jekyll.

"I'm not leaving her any longer," He shouted back without returning to the room. Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"Well, you heard the man." He told the rest. "Look's like we're going back to his house!"

Bet led them into the living room. The whole place had been turned over. The cardboard boxes had been overturned and books and papers were scattered about the floor. Feeling slightly self-conscious, Bet bent down to the floor and started to tidy up the mess.

"What's really strange," Bet told them. "Is that nothing has been taken. Nothing that I've noticed at least." Mina walked over to a vase that had been knocked to the floor.

"I wouldn't touch anything else," Mina said to Bet, as she was reaching for a smashed ornament on the floor. "I may be able to get some finger prints. That would be a step closer to finding our thief at any rate." Bet stepped towards her.

"You think the thief did this?" Bet gasped. "But why?"

"She saw us talking to John," Mina replied. "She's probably captured him to avoid him helping us further." Mina turned to her, about to ask her about any female guests she may have had, but she saw Bet raise a hand to her mouth and collapse in an armchair. She began to sob. Sawyer marched over to her rescue, producing a handkerchief from his waistcoat. He passed it to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," She sniffed at him. "I can't believe that she would do such a thing. I do hope that he's alright. I couldn't bear it if she…" Bet started to cry softly into the handkerchief. Jekyll shuffled uncomfortably on his feet.

"What's this?" Skinner called out from a corner of the room. They turned to face him. He emerged from the corner carrying a large, white feather. It was about two foot long. Bet gulped.

"Oh," she spluttered. "What is it?" Nemo walked up to Skinner and ran his finger over the fibres.

"It can't be…" He muttered.

Jekyll stood up quickly.

"Did you hear that?" He asked the others. He ran over to the broken window and looked over the empty streets. In the sky a bird was flying towards them. It looked very much like an eagle, but was a perfect white. As it got closer, it got bigger. Jekyll's eyes widened. "Everybody get back!" He shouted as he ran to the other side of the room, whisking Bet up from the arm chair.

There was a loud crunch as the birds talons lashed through the window. They scratched at the walls, causing the whole house to shake. Bet screamed, as more objects from the shelves behind them fell on top their heads.

Sawyer pulled his gun from his back and started to shoot at the bird. The talons coiled back in pain, giving the League time to spread out. Jekyll pushed Bet into the far corner.

"Don't move from this spot," He told her pointedly. She nodded up at him, petrified. Jekyll smiled briefly before reaching into his pocket for Hyde's potion.

The huge bird tended to the wound on its leg for a moment.

"Well, this must be the second of her creations." Sawyer yelled, keeping his eye line along the gun.

"No, it's a Roc," Nemo answered, loudly. "I had met a sailor named Sinbad a few times. He was always bragging about various 'adventures' that he'd had. He'd spoken of an enormous white bird, a Roc, that he had encountered in two of his tall stories. I would never have believed that he was telling the truth."

The Roc launched itself at the wall, beak first and started to rip at the window. Mina ran forwards and changed into a flock of bats. They began to attach themselves to the bird, feeding from it. Leaving the wall, the Roc turned on the bats and began to beat them of with its beak.

Nemo ran his sword at the beast, aiming for its eyes, but the bird swiped back at him and knocked him to the floor. Taking the opportunity, Hyde charged at the bird's head from the other side and leapt up onto its head. Digging his heels into its back, Hyde grabbed the Roc's head and attempted to pull it back.

The Roc, ignoring the remaining bats, continued to pull at the walls. Sawyer continued shooting at it, but the bullets seemed to get consumed by the feathers before hitting the bird. It was useless.

The wall began to crumble slightly, and the Roc managed to force his first talon through the hole. It swiped at Sawyer, catching his feet and knocking him over. It then proceeded to grasp at the corner in which Bet was sitting. She began to scream.

Hyde pulled further at the bird, but failed to even move it an inch. Jumping down, he grabbed onto the Roc's talon and started to pull it away from the corner. Nemo, managing to pull himself from the floor, plunged his sword into the bird's eye.

A horrific scream emitted from the Roc, who jerked his leg throwing Hyde across the room and crashing into the wall. In a last attempt, it stretched across the room and plucked Bet from the corner. Skinner, racing over to her, grabbed her waist and dug his heels into the ground. Nemo swung his sword at the Roc's leg, catching it sharply from above.

With a final surge of energy, the Roc pulled Bet from the corner, throwing Skinner to the floor. It scrambled from the wall and took off. Bet screamed as the bird began to fly south from the house.

Sawyer rushed to the window and aimed his gun at the bird.

"Tom, it's too late!" Mina called to him, once she had materialised in the corner of the room. Sawyer continued to stare up at the sky. "You may hit Elizabeth." He continued to stare.

His finger pulled at the trigger and the bullet cut through the air. It hit the Roc in the leg. The bird faltered slightly, but carried on flying. Sawyer threw his gun to the floor.

"It was too strong," Hyde growled at him. "We didn't stand a chance."

They looked around the room. Mina sighed. There weren't going to be any fingerprints. This thief was managing to find plenty of other things to be doing her dirty work.

Hyde began to transform back into Jekyll as the others stood, slightly shocked for a moment. They had nothing now. Both Bet and John had now been kidnapped. Their only possible source of information was the reluctant anonymous messenger.

"We should at least try looking for something," Mina told them. "If she didn't come here herself to get the notes, she must have sent something else." Sawyer snatched his gun from the floor, angrily, and walked to the door.

"I'll look upstairs," He told them, gloomily. Nemo looked at Mina for a moment, and followed him. Skinner kicked at the floor and up righted a toppled table.

Jekyll leant against the wall, gasping, taking in the view around him. This was his home. The place he had spent the most of his life. The place where he had started his experiments. This is what it all lead to. And now Bet had gone too. Sadly, he started looking over the bookcase.

Mina bent down to retrieve the books that had scattered out of one of the cardboard boxes. Just as she was placing them back into the box, a page from one of them fluttered gracefully to the floor. Upon it was another of John's elegant sketches. An enormous coal-black dog, a cross breed of some sort, was heavily annotated with script. Curious, she took a moment to read a section.

"_With the specially prepared phosphorous that has now been developed successfully, I should be able to apply the substance to the hound without overpowering Sir Henry's scent."_

Mina glanced over a few more sentences. Her eyes widened in sudden recognition.

"Stapleton," She whispered. Jekyll looked up at her between looking for clues.

"What about him?" He asked angrily.

"I thought there was something about the name that was familiar." She folded the piece of paper up. "Skinner," she called to the invisible man who was currently ferreting about under a table. He lifted his head, banging it sharply on the edge. He cursed briefly under his breath.

"What?" He asked. "It better be worth that bang on the head."

"It will be," She replied, handing him the piece of paper. "I think we need to pay a visit to 221B Baker Street."

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NB: Ah! That feels a lot better. I have been very naughty with this fic, but I'm gonna be good now! Look forward to much more action from now on! Reviews are fab!


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